Kuwaiti faces up to KD10,000 fine for throwing litter

Kuwaiti faces up to KD10,000 fine for throwing litter

A Kuwaiti man had the shock of his life when he was told by Kuwaiti police that he might have to pay 10,000 Kuwaiti Dinars for throwing an empty can on the beach.

The man, who was not named, reportedly bought a can of juice for 100 Fils and drank it as he was standing on a beach in the northern Arabian Gulf state.

However, after he finished it, he felt too lazy to walk to the next rubbish bin and carelessly threw the can, Kuwaiti daily Al Rai reported on Tuesday, citing a security source.

Two environment policemen spotted him and talked with him about his behaviour, reprimanding him for his carelessness and taking his name down for a fine for littering.

Months later, he was summoned by the police and he was so sure that he had not done anything wrong that he expected to be told that there was some confusion in the names and that he was not wanted for questioning, the source said.

However, when he arrived at the police station, he was told that he was wanted in a legal case filed against him for throwing a can on the beach, causing damage to the environment, and that he might have to pay KD10,000.

The Kuwaiti said that he recalled the incident and the fine and thought that he would have to pay a few dinars.

The police told him that under the law to protect the environment, the fine for throwing rubbish on public beaches or islands was up to KD10,000.

According to the security source, the man was released on bail and referred to the legal authorities.